Hi! We went to Japan on holiday for three weeks during Easter! :) It seems so long ago already… but as you’d probably expect from me, things work a little slow around here (!). So over the next few blog posts, I will like to share some stories with you~!

a) many things look unusual and the ‘what if I never-EVER get the chance to buy it?’ factor comes in to play.

b) the little devil that sits on the shoulder whispers… “Oh go-on…!” and “It’ll make a nice memento!” in to my ear.

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Fact: The prices are in a different currency than what I’m used to, and I can’t be asked to convert every single price in the head. Not to mention that I’m weak at maths anyway. And the rose-tinted desire of it makes it seem cheaper.

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Fact: I’m a sucker when it comes to kitchenware…, it’s borderline shopaholic. “Hi, my name is Tamami and I am a kitchenware shopaholic.” would be my admission speech at one of those self-help get togethers.

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BUT: this time my shopping spree was toned down somewhat…! (o-m-g…)

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Y’know why?

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It’s because I am on a mission to not buy plastic anymore.And guess what this does ~ suddenly, three quarters of kitchen goods in the shops become redundant! Yah, I’m amazed myself.

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It was actually a really liberating moment. I looked around with my plastic-free eyes and by golly, a realisation dawned on me that I was drowning in too much plasticky option before! Honestly, so much crappy stuff out there. It was refreshing to not have to check them out anymore. So with this new concept, some of the shelves didn’t even get a look at and shopping became a breeze as I was able to pinpoint my attention on only certain items.

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I should tell you the other reason why I didn’t buy so much:

To my dismay, I found another solution to purging my spending spree when I took my 9 year old daughter with me to go shopping in the kitchenware district called Kappabashi.

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“Do you REALLY need that mummy?”

“What are you going to use it for?”

“It’s not very nice.”

“That’s too expensive.”

“Can we leave the shop now?”

“It’s boring. I’m tired.”

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These were the words that my daughter uttered while I tried to shop. And my answers to her remarks were;

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“No, not really…” (externally forced to reality check)

“Not sure… But… s-o-m-e-t-h-i-n-g…?”

“…” (the seed of doubt now developing in to a plant, looking down at the item I am dearly cupping in my hand.)

“Yes I know. I know, but…!!!!” (the devil on my shoulder is waning.)

“…” (now I feel silly like a child in a candy shop.)

“okay okay…, let’s get out.” (defeated.)

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She’s right of course, I don’t REALLY need a soup ladle for left-handers, nor an iron stamp to sizzle a pattern on the pancake! She is probably the angel (with a whip mind you!) on the other side of the shoulder that tames the devil that whispers sweet things in to my ear. Lol. That day at Kappabashi I didn’t buy a single thing (shock! horror!), but… dear daughter, I’m so sorry, old habits die hard, as I did sneak a shopping spree on my own on another day at ‘Loft’ and ’Nico And’.

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So, ahem, here are the winnings (pic at top)…

Hand carved wooden ladle (perfect for ladling the hot pot?)

Sesame seed roasting pan (I used the frying pan for the job before, but no more!)

Two wooden rice paddle (no more plastic ones for me~!)

Handmade bamboo colander (Lol, yes, I agree, I didn’t ’need’ this, but it looked so cool! It’s made from just one piece of bamboo. The handle is extended and divided and plaited to make the sieve part. Gotta give it for the skills involved.)

Wired mesh picky-uppy ladle (It’s hand-wired!)

Handmade bamboo brush (I love brushes. Ha, weird statement perhaps? When the tips wear down, you can remove one level of wire and cut the ends to use it for longer. Ingenious!)

Omg! Hi Michael! Absolutely awesome to hear from you! Thank you so much for leaving a comment here! How are you? Are you still abroad? :) and ahhhh…, the fruit tarts… yes, I miss them too! And the carrot cake not to forget! :)

Hello Tamami. Just wanted to say that I’m so happy to hear you are better. I haven’t visited your site in a while and I was saddened to hear you’re battling breast cancer. Thank you for sharing you’re personal experience with us. We can all learn from your journey battling this terrible disease. I wish you good health and best wishes.

Dear Stephanie,
first of all, so sorry for replying late… it is super kind of you to leave a message here for me. I really appreciate that you have done that so thank you so much. Yes, it certainly has been a bit of a battle this past year, but hopefully that’s over now. I am so thankful to say that my cancer had not spread, and the tumour was successfully removed. Currently I am in a process of changing my lifestyle and looking after myself better to make sure it doesn’t come back ever again. That means less cakes!!! Which still saddens me to this day, but so be it! Also going to sleep early too for me! (I used to be a night owl). xx

Hello Tamami. It’s my first time here but I love the fact that most of the utensils are wooden. It’s really different from what I’m used to plus it won’t get hot like stainless steel would, if I mistakenly leave it in the pot while cooking. I’m glad you’re better. Thanks for the article.

It's one of my food-porn books that I take on train journeys instead of a novel. ~ I like that this book is just words, no pictures. Normally I would have said that every cookbook ought to have pictures for ALL the recipes, but, I make this the exception. The recipes read so well, that I can picture the dish being cooked in my mind...